Legendary professional rodeo cowboy Larry Mahan passed away Sunday at the age of 79, after battling cancer for many years. ProRodeo Hall of Fame honored Mahan as one of the greatest cowboy superstars of all time.

Born in Brooks, Oregon, Mahan grew up loving his horses and riding calves. His career as a professional rodeo cowboy took off when he won five consecutive all-around championships from 1966 to 1970 and another time in 1973.

Mahan also won the Bull Riding World Championship in 1965 and 1967. He qualified for the National Finals Rodeo 26 times in bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding.

The famous cowboy was first inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979 and was named Legend of ProRodeo in 2010. He was the star subject of the award-winning documentary “Great American Cowboy” and also had his own western clothing line with boot and hat collections.